NEWS headlines from recent weeks foreshadow an epiphany in the Republican Party.
Finally. More and more Republicans in Congress are standing up to President Donald Trump to protect and defend the Constitution, a solemn vow they made when they were sworn into office.
Finally. More and more Republicans in Congress are remembering the sacred truth enshrined in the Constitution, that the United States is a democracy and that the three branches of government — executive, legislature, judiciary — are co-equally mandated to provide checks and balances among each other so that not one person, not one institution can abuse power at the expense of the American people and the democratic principles, institutions, and processes.
Finally. More and more Republicans in Congress are fighting to reclaim back the Republican Party, the true spirit and values of the party of Lincoln and Reagan that had been made hostage by the real estate mogul and reality show star Donald Trump.
Finally. More and more Republicans are growing their testicular and moral fortitude back, despite the threats to their political survival by the vindictive governance of Trump, who demands loyalty for himself and his interest and not for the Constitution.
Newsflash:
A dozen Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday, March 14, to overturn President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration to fund a border wall. Before this, 13 House Republicans reached across the aisle to rebuke Trump’s declaration of national emergency.
Several of the Republican senators criticized Trump’s move as presidential overreach that set a “dangerous precedent” and undermined the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution.
According to the Washington Post, the GOP lawmakers were also concerned about Trump’s use of the National Emergency Act to “grab $3.6 billion appropriated by Congress for military construction projects nationwide and use it to build barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border instead.”
House Republicans likewise sided with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who contended, “This is not an emergency, and the Congress has declared a strong bipartisan voice that the president’s fearmongering doesn’t make it one.”
The declaration of national emergency underscored Trump’s obsession and fixation on building the border wall that he promised during the campaign that Mexico would pay for, and not from the hard earned money of American taxpayers.
President Trump on Friday, March 15, vetoed the bipartisan resolution. However, the Washington Post reported that the House is likely to hold a vote on March 26, which the Democrats deem to be an opportunity to underscore their stance on the need for balance of power and get Republicans on the record again, even if such vote won’t get them the required two-thirds majority to override Trump’s veto. Should this happen, the emergency declaration would still take into effect, although the implementation may be delayed by a long legal battle already started by 16 states which may go up all the way to the Supreme Court.
Republicans likewise joined Democrats in the House to overwhelmingly pass a resolution — with a vote of 420 to zero — calling for special counsel Robert Mueller’s report to be made available to the public and Congress.
It has been widely talked about that Mueller will soon finish his report and deliver it to Barr, who has not indicated whether he will make it public.
“This transparency is a fundamental principle necessary to ensure that government remains accountable to the people,” the Democrats said in a statement.
“As the Department of Justice made clear over the last two years, DOJ policy permits disclosure of investigative materials when it serves the public interest, even as they pertain to ‘uncharged third parties,’” the statement revealed. “The public is clearly served by transparency with respect to any investigation that could implicate or exonerate the President and his campaign.”
As NBC News reported, House Democrats have already signaled they may subpoena the report and/or Mueller himself to appear before Congress should Barr decide to keep the report private.
A majority of Americans – 68 percent – want the report of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation to be released, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released late February. The report’s release has broad support from both parties, with 79 percent of Democrats supporting the release while 5 percent do not and 59 percent of Republicans supporting the release while 18 percent do not.
Trump responded saying the Mueller report should not be released. If he is innocent as he professed of any crime, if he had indeed been honest with the American people, what is he so afraid of?
There is hope. But we have to do our part to protect our democracy. We should do our part in letting our Senators and Representatives know about issues that have far reaching consequences to our lives and our nation. We should look at the facts and not give in to blind loyalty and fanaticism. This is what informed and conscientious decision-making is all about.
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
